2018 MLB Draft: Padres select Weathers, Edwards, Little on Day One

SAN DIEGO– On Day 1 of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the San Diego Padres will have three selections: #7, #38, and #74.

FOX Sports San Diego will keep a live-track of the picks, information about the players, as well as quotes from GM A.J. Preller as they roll in.

4:50 PM PT:

The San Diego Padres have selected high school left-hander Ryan Weathers with their first round (seventh overall) selection.

The southpaw was ranked 13th on MLB.com’s top 200 draft prospects list coming into the draft, dominating opposing hitters in his senior year of high school. As an 18-year-old, Weathers went 11-0 with a 0.09 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched for Loretto High School in Tennessee.

Weathers’ performance earned him Gatorade’s 2017-18 National Baseball Player of the Year award.

It is the second consecutive year that the Padres have drafted Gatorade’s National Baseball Player of the Year award winner. A year ago, AJ Preller & Co. selected LHP Mackenzie Gore with their third overall selection.

“He’s a guy that we were very excited to select,” stated GM AJ Preller. “A lot of time and effort went into scouting him.”

Prior to the draft, Weathers commited to Vanderbilt.

With the 7th selection of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Padres have taken Ryan Weathers, a lefty prep arm out of Tennessee. Son of former MLB hurler David Weathers. https://t.co/rXOpGUYhoK

The 5’10”, 155-pound shortstop was the 28th best prospect on the top 200 list, per MLB.com. In his senior year of high school, Edwards hit .406 with a .532 on-base percentage. He wreaked havoc on the basepaths, scoring 43 runs and stealing 24 bases.

“We see him (Edwards) as a middle of the infield, top of the order guy who has a dynamic skillset,” Preller stated.

“We took those guys to sign them and start their professional careers,” Preller said. “We expect to get that done before the signing period ends.”

8:45 PM PT

The San Diego Padres have made their final draft pick of the evening. With the 74th overall pick, they selected OF Grant Little out of Texas Tech University. The pick was acquired from the Twins along with RHP Phil Hughes a few weeks ago.

Little hit .380/.480/.670 with 12 home runs and a 1.150 OPS for the Red Raiders in 2018. He was rated No. 128 on MLB.com’s top 200 draft prospects list.